fleece cloth for fiberglass

[pontiacfieroguy]

I used to use fleece cloth with resin in custom speaker enclosures with good results and am thinking about using it when I replace the deck of my 14' basshound because it's less expensive than fiberglass, handles contours and curves well, will allow me to go around corners easily at the front where my deck steps up and at my bilge, and gives a NIC smooth surface.

My question to you knowledgeable guys is there any reason I shouldn't use a couple layers of fleece over a layer of fiberglass especially where I transition to the side of the hull? Will it be strong enough and provide me the waterproofing I want over a piece of 3/4 resin encapsulated exterior plywood? Could I maybe get away with half inch ply with the combo of 1 layer of fiberglass and 2 layers of fleece? I'm a very larg man at 6'4" 350lbs and my woman is 5'11" 175lbs so we will have quite a bit of human weight plus a full yeti and fishing gear.

 

[Scott Danforth]

speakers do not need strength. the fleece fibers offer no strength. The fleece as you know allows you to pull and stretch the fabric to get flowing lines and curves, however doesnt add much in the strength department.

I have used fleece to get a shape, then backed it up with several layers of CSM and 1708 to make a structural component.

resin by itself sucks as an encapsulating agent simply because it has no strength, and will spider crack and fail. now, add a layer or two of CSM with the resin to encapsulate the wood, and you have some strength. The glass and resin work in harmony creating a matrix of glass fibers (strength) and resin (sealant) to encapsulate the wood.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... Agreed,.... Strength comes from the fibers, resin is just the glue,....

Fleece might work for bulkin' layers of a build up, but won't offer any added strength,....

 

[pontiacfieroguy]

What is the cheapest place to buy a large quantity of fiberglass and how much should I estimate to redo a 14' boat about 4 foot wide?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Iboats sells fiberglass, there is a forum member discount as well. I have used US composites.

when you say "redo" what needs to be done? the resin is the most expensive part. make sure you get layup resin (no wax). As far as how much resin, cloth, mat, etc that you will need, hard to say without pics or knowing what you need to do.

 

[pontiacfieroguy]

I'm tearing out my deck and stringers and replacing it all with fiberglass encapsulated stringers and decking.

 

[Woodonglass]

These two links should be of interest...



Fabricating Decks, Stringers, and Transoms


View attachment MaterialsList.pdf

 

[pontiacfieroguy]

These two links should be of interest...



Fabricating Decks, Stringers, and Transoms[/URL]

You truly are a great member and resource of knowledge, I really appreciate the help you are giving a kid like me and I hope to one day know as much as you so I can give back to the boating community.

 

[Woodonglass]

Hey, I'm just an Old Dumb Okie!!! Everybody knows That!!!! I'm just passin on what I've learned here on the forum and from messin with a few old boats.

 

[mxcobra]

You truly are a great member and resource of knowledge, I really appreciate the help you are giving a kid like me and I hope to one day know as much as you so I can give back to the boating community.

all these guys are great, best place on the web for knowledgeable info......

 

[pontiacfieroguy]

These two links should be of interest...



Fabricating Decks, Stringers, and Transoms[/URL]

My phone says the materials list has a virus and refuses to let me open it. Can you give a list of materials with quantities for a 14" basshound for complete deck and stringer replacement? Obviously I need plywood and 2x4 for stringers but I'm not sure how many yards of fiberglass and what weight, how many gallons of resin, and how much carbosil.

 

[Woodonglass]

Here's the Starting Materials List for what you?ll need for a typical restoration of a 16?, 4 stringer boat, doing the Stringers, Deck and Transom. You will need to increase/decrease quantities as the size of your boat increases of decreases

PPE

Respirator (Full Face Preferred $100) if not then double filtered 1/2 face and Goggles with vents taped over.
Latex Gloves (1 - 2 Boxes)
Leather Gloves 1 Pair
Full cover Hooded Tyvek suit. Rubber Band or Tape the Wrists and Ankles and put a wet towel around your neck. Talcum Powder (coat yourself TOTALLY with talcum powder prior to every grinding Session. This will help keep the Itch Off.)

Equipment

Prybars, Hammers, chisels, Putty Knives
Flat tipped shovel to remove foam,
Old Carpenters Saw (The Old Fox Hole Army Surplus Shovels work well)
Circular Saw
Sawzall
Dremel Tool
Router
Drill
Random Orbit Sander (80 grit all the way to 180 grit)
Rasps,
Files
4 1/2" Grinder with Backup Pad and 24 grit resin coated sanding discs

If you need to remove foam, a wire cup brush for the grinder will EAT the foam out
Masking Tape
Shop Vac for dust control or Dust Collector if you're fortunate enough to have one.
It's good to create a Plastic Tent over the boat to contain the dust. There WILL be a LOT of it....A LOT!!!!

Materials

Wood 3-4 sheets 3/4" Arauco Ext. Grade Plywood ( any good grade of Ext. Grade Plywood will work. ACX. MDO or HDO is also very good but more expensive. Do not recommend BCX. Floor underlayment is good too. Marine Grade is the best but pricey) You may also need some 1/2" and some 1/4" for seat bases and side panels.

Resin and Fiberglass (This assumes you are using Polyester Resin for your re-build. If you are using Epoxy then you do NOT need the 1.5 oz CSM and instead of the 1708 you only need 17 oz Biax Cloth.) 15-20 Gallons 435 Polyester Resin
4 Gals Cabosil
1 lbs 1/4" chopped strand fibers
25 yds 1.5 oz CSM
15 yds 1708 Biaxial Cloth
2 dozen 1 qt plastic mixing buckets
1/2" x 5" Fiberglass "Bubble" roller
2Dozen Stir Sticks
2 dozen Short nap 6" nylon roller covers and trays
2 dozen 3" Chip Brushes (cut 1/2 of the bristles off

I'm leaving out some stuff but this will for sure get you Started.

 

[pontiacfieroguy]

20 gallons of resin? At $40 per gallon plus the fiberglass that's more than I paid for the boat! I might have bought the boat cheap but I think I might not have got the value I thought I did and maybe should sell it and buy an aluminum boat that can't hide issues and with me being a welder I can tig any issues it might have.

 

[Woodonglass]

Yup, a total gut and rebuild of a Glass boat usually runs from $1 to $2K. More if you have to buy or rebuild the motor. But...Have you Priced a new one??? When you're done with it, It will be like NEW and will last for decades.

 

[pontiacfieroguy]

Its a 1975 bass hpund trihull with a 55hp johnson seahorse and we paid $1025 for the boat, motor, and trailer and since then have replaced the starter, fuel lines, bought life jackets, air horn, fire extinguisher, anchor, mooring rope, anchor rope, new plugs for the bilge and live well, tires, bearings, gas tank, battery, wires, and registration, we have about 24-1500 in it and I doubt a 1975
Basshound trihull with a 55hp Johnson seahorse is worth more than 2k so I'm reluctant to spend another grand or more especially when I'm a full time student and only work 2 days per week at a measly $13 per hour.the motor started and ran well in the guys drive way but it was hard to start on the water and later didn't want to run unless it was full throttle but I've replaced the leaking primer bulb since then so I don't even know how she runs. Do you think id be better to sell it or fix it?

 

[mxcobra]

If you're not really into boat building. Then ur at a loss, also if spending mony on your boat bothers you then, yep you should probably step away , my 76 Bayliner is worth 3000 tops. I will have 10,000 in it by next summer. But I can say I built mine it's more solid then anything around our lakes, would never sink, and is smoking fast....

 

[Woodonglass]

If you're wanting to get on the water this season, I don't think this boat is gunna get the job done. Problem is...Most boats in the$1,500 to $3,000 range ALL have these kinds of issues.

 

[fishrdan]

Post up some pictures and let us know what you have found wrong with the boat. Is the deck shot, foam soaked, stringers and transom rotted out, or just one soft spot in the deck? If the deck has been compromised, everything below could be shot, same for the transom, you'll need to do some "core samples" to see what you have to work with. Fiberglass is excellent for resisting water, but once water gets in, that fiberglass is also excellent for holding moisture in (then the rot begins)...

For a 1975 $1K boat I wouldn't sink too much money and effort into it, could turn out to be a money (and labor) pit. I "used to" have a 1972 fiberglass boat, until I found all of the above mentioned problems. I stripped it and hauled it down to the landfill, then found an aluminum boat.

 

[pontiacfieroguy]

What weight expanding foam is best for my specific boat? From what I've gleaned 2lb is the standard unless the boat uses the foam for structure but I'm not sure of mine does or not and even after I gut it I'm not sure I would recognize if it was or not by looking.

 

[jbcurt00]

2lb will fill your needs